Mutton Pepper Fry (Traditional Fare)

If you ask me, what goes well with this mutton dish, I'd say a tomato rasam, cabbage thoran & white rice.I know your mouth is watering, then, what is stopping you from making this! 

INGREDIENTS:

Mutton: 500 g

Onions: 3 sliced

Shallots: 100 g crushed

Garlic: 10 pods crushed

Ginger: 1” piece sliced

Green chilli: 2 slit

Whole black pepper: 1 tbsp

Coriander seeds: 2 tbsps

Garam masala powder: 1 tsp

Turmeric powder: ½ tsp

Curry leaves: a few

Coconut oil: 3 tbsps

Salt to taste

METHOD:

Dry roast/broil pepper & coriander in a pan, powder & keep aside.

 Heat oil, fry the sliced onions brown & remove on to a plate.

In the remaining oil, add crushed shallots & garlic. Sauté it well.

 Now, add the powdered pepper – coriander, turmeric powder, slit green chillies & ginger.

Put in washed & drained mutton & stir till they change colour.

Pour 2 cups of hot water, cover & cook till done, stirring occasionally.

Now, add salt, curry leaves & garam masala powder.

Fry till the mutton is well coated with the masala.

Last, add the fried onions. Stir well.

A dry meat dish that can be served with any rice/wheat preparations.    

Fish Curry Trivandrum Style (Traditional Fare)

 Fish curry from Trivandrum, Kerala, is different from the rest of the state - very spicy & "coconutty".And the addition of drumstick, is a point to be noted! 

INGREDIENTS:

Fish: 250 g cut into small pieces

Drumstick: 2

Raw mango: 1 peeled & sliced

Grated coconut: 1 cup

Red chilli powder: 1 tbsp

Turmeric powder: ¼ tsp

Ginger: 1 tsp sliced

Shallots: 10

Curry leaves: few

Green chilli: 2 slit

Coconut oil: 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

METHOD:

Cut the drumstick into 2” pieces, wash well & cook with raw mango, sliced ginger, 1 tsp red chilli powder,  a little turmeric powder & salt in 1 cup water.

When half done, add pieces of fish, a few curry leaves & 2 shallots sliced.

In the meantime, grind coconut, remaining chilli powder, shallots & a few curry leaves to a fine paste.

 Pour the ground masala into the simmering fish & add water to make up gravy.

 Check seasoning & add the slit green chilli.

Pour a tablespoon of coconut oil into the curry & take off the fire.

 Serve with rice or tapioca.     

 

Punjabi kadhi/Kadhi Pakora (Maami's Corner)

 Just like the Kerala "Pulissery" or the Tamil Nadu "Mor Kolambhu", Punjab is famous for their "Kadhi", with or without the Pakoras.

kadhi pakoras

 

INGREDIENTS:

Curd: 1 cup

Gram flour/besan: 2 tbsps

Water: 2 cups

Turmeric powder: ½ tsps

Salt to taste

To season:

Oil: 2 tbsps

Muatard seed: 1 tsp

Cumin: ½ tsp

Dry red chilli: 3

Cloves: 3

Fenugreek: ¼ tsp

METHOD:

In a bowl, mix the curd, besan & water. Whisk to break all lumps.

Heat this mix in a sauce pan till it thickens.

Add salt to taste, take off fire & season with the ingredients under “to season”.

Pour into kadhi.

If using pakoras, place the fried pakoras in a bowl & pour kadhi over this & serve.

You can make plain pakoras for this. (using besan, onion & green chillies only).

Vegetable Upma (Maami's Corner)

 Once derisively dismissed as “Salt mango tree”, ( literal translation of a deliberate distortion of the name into “Uppu” and mavu”). This was much before Mr Floyd Cardoz brought this dish onto centre stage as his prize winning entry at the Top Chef Masters Season 3.

INGREDIENTS:

Semolina/rava/suji: 1 cup

Onions: 2 chopped

Green chilli: 2 chopped fine

Ginger: 1” piece chopped fine

Curry leaves: a few

Mixed vegetables: 1 cup (carrot, peas, corn, cauliflower etc)

Coriander leaves: 2 tbsps

Oil: 2 tbsps

Ghee: 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds: 1 tsp

Bengal gram dhal: 1 tsp

Black gram dhal: 1 tsp

Dry red chilli: 2

Salt to taste

METHOD:

Heat ghee in a pan & roast the rava till light brown. Remove to a plate.

Heat oil, splutter mustard seeds, add bengal & black gram dhal.

Break red chilli into two & put into oil, also curry leaves, chopped onions, green chilli & ginger.

Add salt & sauté till brown.

Now, add vegetables. Stir till partially done.

Pour 3 cups of hot water, when it comes to a boil, lower flame, add more salt, if required & add the rava, stirring continuously till all the water is absorbed.

(Those who like their Upma dry can add less water, about 2 cups).

 Don’t add the rava all at once, it will become lumpy, add it in a continuous stream stirring all the time.

Last, add the coriander leaves & serve with coconut chutney.

Chemeen/Prawns Thenga Masala (Seafood)

This is a very simple & tasty prawn recipe anyone can try. 

INGREDIENTS:

Prawns: 250 g shelled & deveined

Fresh coconut: 2 tbsps

Dry coconut/copra: 2 tbsps

Whole garlic: 15 to 20

Ginger-garlic paste: 2 tsps

Red chilli powder: 1 tsp

Coriander leaves: 1 tbsp chopped

Curry leaves: a few

Tamarind paste: 1 tsp

Oil: 2 tbsps

Salt to taste

METHOD:

Grind coconut, fresh & dry, together. Keep aside.

Heat oil, fry whole garlic till it browns. Then add ginger-garlic paste.

Fry till fragrant & add red chilli powder, turmeric powder & ground coconut-copra.

Sauté well & put in the prawns, tamarind paste & salt. stir fry for a while & pour half a cup of water( 100 ml).

Cover & cook till gravy dries up.

Sprinkle coriander & curry leaves. Serve with rice or chapattis. 

Curd Rice (Maami's Corner)

In Tamil Nadu, no meal is complete without the famous “curd rice”. In some places fresh fruits like grapes, pomegranate, apples, etc are added to the prepared curd rice. I prefer it without the fruits, here’s the recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

Raw rice: 1 cup

Curd: 1cup

Milk: ½ cup

Butter: 1 tbsp or fresh cream: 1 tbsp

Ginger: 2 tsps chopped fine

Green chilli: 2 chopped fine

Curry leaves: a few

Coriander leaves: 1 tbsp

Dry red chilli: 4

Mustard seeds: 1 tsp

Oil: 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

METHOD:

Pressure cook rice with 3 cups water for 2 whistles (rice must be really soft for this preparation).

When hot, stir in the butter & let the rice cool well.

Whisk the curd & milk together, add to the rice, also, add chopped ginger, green chilli, coriander leaves & salt.

Heat oil in a tadka pan, add mustard seeds, red chilli & curry leaves.

Cool it before pouring into curd rice.

This can be served immediately. If you intend to carry it as a packed lunch, add more milk & less curd, cos it will set with time. 

Serve with  pickle & papad

Paya (Traditional Fare)

I was told that in the days of our grand or great grandparents, during the rainy season, trotters & other mutton bones were cooked to make different kinds of soups & gravies. Mutton was preferred because of the medicinal value of goats & sheep.

That was probably the reason for their good health!

Here’s a simple recipe for mutton paya.

INGREDIENTS:

Trotters: 4 cleaned & cut into pieces

Shallots/onions: 100 g

Ginger-garlic paste: 1 tbsp

Green chilli: 2 chopped

Tomato: 1 chopped

Turmeric powder: ¼ tsp

Red chilli powder: 1 tsp

Fennel seeds: 1 tsp
Whole black pepper: 1 tsp

Cumin powder: ½ tsp

Coriander leaves: 2 tbsps

Coconut milk: ½ cup thin extract (optional)

Oil: 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

METHOD:

Use a pressure cooker to prepare this because it takes about an hour to prepare.

Into a cooker, add oil & fennel & pepper, then, add shallots, ginger, garlic, green chillies.

Sauté well & add the powders.

Now, put in tomato & coriander leaves.

Pour 3 cups of water (600 ml).

Bring to boil & add the trotters.

Cover & pressure cook for 45 minutes on low flame, after the first whistle.

When done, add salt & coconut milk.

This is a thin gravy preparation that can be served as a soup too.